COLLEGE

Director of Coaching

20th March 2018

Messias Souza

Messias Souza is from Contagem, Brazil and holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Physical Education. Messias began playing soccer in Brazil in 1973 and played semi-professionally and professionally from 1989 to 2001.

He started his career playing futsal for Cruzeiro Esporte Clube and later moved to the field where he played for several professional clubs including; Cavaleiro Negro E.C. in Belo Horizonte, Curvelo Sport Club in Minas Gerais, Brasil, and Sete de Setembro F.C. in Belo Horizonte, Brasil.

After retiring from his professional career Messias began coaching. He has a successful 20-year track record of coaching in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. He completed courses for soccer coaching in the Professional Soccer Unions of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and has the ability to coach at all levels.

He is a certified USSF "B" coach, and has a demonstrated history of producing many U.S. National Team Players and Goalkeepers.

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

To All Atlético Santa Rosa Families:

It as been my honor and privilege to serve as the Director of Coaching here at Atlético Santa Rosa. I had high hopes and expectations in mind for the club when I accepted the DOC position. Yet, at the time, I realized that any progress and contributions that I could achieve would depend largely upon the level of support our club received from the community, parents and players. We have been making great strides in attracting this network of support.

In 2017, we achieved a lot of team success and individual player development at the National, Regional and State levels. It was great to see all players and coaches working hard to place our teams and players at the highest levels of competition. I want to congratulate each team for all of their achievements in 2017 and welcome all parents and players to our upcoming 2018 soccer season.

I am looking forward to having a productive and educational 2018 season. Our goal is to have more kids representing our club at higher levels of competition. We intend to maintain our focus on individual player and team development, educating and encouraging all players to follow the philosophy and proper training priorities for each age group, and increasing individual technical abilities and body mechanics. This allows our teams to have more ball possession and a better offensive game.

I will strive to make every day a fun and enriching learning experience for your children. Involvement in our program will continue to emphasize the comprehension of goal setting, work ethics, the sacrifices necessary to pursue growth and success, and the technical training in those skills needed for our athletes to progress. I want our program to train our players to be not only superior athletes, but also excellent students, individuals, and leaders in our society. We believe that our club and coaches possess the leadership and knowledge necessary for us to achieve these athletic, educational, and development objectives for our players.

It is important that every member of our club knows how critical their support is to our success both on and off the soccer field. A handful of dedicated parent volunteers cannot do it alone. As we begin the 2018 year, I want to both thank and encourage the additional support from our parents and community.

I am excited about our upcoming season, and thank each of you for your trust in me and efforts to help make 2018 the most successful year for our soccer club.